ComicScene Blog

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ComicScene, Covid and kickstarters!

Above is the cover of the last ‘monthly’ issue of ComicScene Magazine 6 years ago. It wasn’t an easy rodeo.

ComicScene began at my dining room table, edited in snatched moments between kid club pick-ups. Along the way, I had some successes, made my fair share of mistakes and learned a huge amount about publishing a magazine and comics today.

When I launched ComicScene, our distributor warned me that the first two years would be the hardest. They weren’t wrong – it was so brutal. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it lightly. At times, it felt like two steps forward, one step back. 

So I pushed through. Eventually, I built a loyal base of regular readers and subscribers – enough to break even. I didn’t mind – it was a hobby rather than a vocation. Although at times people treated me as some major publishing empire! 

The magazine was in store like Barnes and Noble internationally and I was on the verge of agreeing a deal to expand into US comic shops and planning a refresh: a US comic size format suited to comic stores and newsagents, fewer pages to reduce design and production costs, and a lower cover price – under a fiver – by carefully absorbing postage and tightening the budget. The goal was always to maintain the right editorial balance with good, quality design: classic and contemporary comics from the UK, US, Europe, and beyond where indie creators have an equal seat alongside the work of professional publishers. 

Then COVID hit.

Footfall in UK comic shops and WHSmith stores collapsed, and it completely knocked me sideways. I was losing around 1,000 sales per issue – about £3,000 each time. Thats a big thing for what essentially is a ‘niche’ publication in the U.K. Even after lockdown lifted, those numbers didn’t recover, despite WHSmith being one of the few retailers that had stayed open throughout the pandemic. I had to act quickly to avoid serious debt – something I had no desire to return to. 

Thankfully through launching the magazine, I had built up some resilience techniques to get through each day. So I worked on a projects and ideas – some worked, some didn’t, some did enough to wash their face.

Recently, I’ve come to realise that now might actually be the right time for a comeback. Conditions are far from perfect, but there’s a clear gap: a UK-based quality comic magazine that truly captures how exciting and eclectic the medium is today.

This time, the vision goes beyond print. ComicScene will return not just as a magazine, but continue as a digital platform – where news and features can live side by side, accessible whenever you want them, to which you are all welcome to contribute as a fan or creator.

Over the past year, I’ve been building the Substack newsletter, which now has over 7,700 subscribers who get it via email and more than 8,000 followers. It knocks all the social media algorithms out of the ball park. The magazine itself will return in April 2027. 

Ahead of that, I’ve launched a Kickstarter for a Yearbook and Summer Special – both to test the new format and, in truth, to build a financial cushion for whatever challenges lie ahead in a print magazine. I need your support. 

Most importantly, this next chapter will be even more collaborative. I want to work as part of the comic community to help shape something that truly feels like your magazine. Got an idea? All you have to do is ask. After all you are also investing in the magazines future and I won’t forget that contribution. 

If that sounds like something you want to be part of, please support the Kickstarter this April – and come along for the ride. You will get the books and if you go for anything over £18 be upgraded to a paid subscription for this substack (saving yourself £20!). 

If it doesn’t work? Well, at least I tried. I tried really hard. And there’s not many people who can say they did that. 

Back the magazine here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comicscene/comicscene-yearbook-2027

ComicsTony

Below – some pages from previous issues of ComicScene. I thought these would be good pages to share for anyone publishing today with some useful advice. You get all past issues of ComicScene as part of the paid version of this substack (which you get free when you back the Kickstarter).

Friday 27th March, 6am

The Kickstarter Diary

This is my last post about the launch of the new ComicScene Kickstarter. We have raised £1382, 55% of £2500 required, in 3 days so not a bad start. It’s a mix of about 20% previous ComicScene readers and 8 brand new readers so far. I’m not sure if following the advice of how to launch a Kickstarter would help support a brand new creator, unless the work was draw jopping good, but it is helpful all the same.

Today I’m sharing the Yearbook cover which harks back to the first 2000AD cover 50 years ago. The ComicScene Awards are ‘resting’ for a year and we are asking you to give us your 2000AD memories instead. The Yearbook will feature the top 50 of memories shared by readers. You can fill out the survey before the end of March here

I think this new beginning to ComicScene offers a unique print and digital offering, with good design and an eclectic mix of features on comics old, new and ground breaking. I hope you will join us!

Thursday 26th March, 10pm

The Kickstarter Diary

A slow day. Although it seems slow for most kickstarters so I shouldn’t be too despondent.

Exhausted my ‘blast’ to previous backers and would prefer to have hit 50% but who knows what might happen overnight.

I’ve started sharing the first of two covers from our fabulous design team at the Burgh – the first is for the Summer Special. If you like it, please do back it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comicscene/comicscene-yearbook-2027

Thursday 26th March, 6am

The Kickstarter Diary

Woke up to be 45% funded. I’m following some advice for kickstarters on the first few days of a campaign and sharing that here.

Ideally by the end of day three we should be between 50 and 70% funded. Sharing content, artwork and potential stretch goals is advised so I will be doing some of that before the weekend. It’s all about creating ‘momentum’. However I have a couple more direct messages to send to previous supporters before that.

I like to start a Kickstarter a week before I should, so I can give myself a whole month to see how much work needs to be done after the first week. Work, Easter, a wee holiday, my desire to check my phone less and a frozen elbow on my writing arm will make this more difficult (I can hear the violins and waves of sympathy backing of the Kickstarter!). At the same time for this camping I don’t want to be constantly throwing the Kickstarter down people’s throats.

So the approach to this Kickstarter has to be slightly different. After the initial ‘blast’ I have to approach comic creators, retailers, event organisers and comic groups about the potential of the monthly magazine and our ongoing digital offering that goes to nearly 8000 people. So there will be more behind the scenes work going on rather than in your face. It’s embryonic, working as a collective and a community. A small investment in this Kickstarter helps.

Interestingly we have seen more people come to the Kickstarter through our substack rather than Kickstarter itself this time around. 31% of our pre launch followers have been ‘converted’ to backers – it usually is just over 50% at the end of the campaign.

A word of warning for any people doing a Kickstarter. I’ve had a message from Kickstarter, branded as Kickstarter, saying that this will become a ‘Project We Love’ but they want to give me some advice through their marketing company. I’ve never had this before and it’s gone to an email not used for the Kickstarter so I think it’s spam and a potential hacker. So I’m not touching it. I don’t need the love that much!

I do need your love though – let’s see if we get today’s target here

Wednesday 25th March, 6pm

The Kickstarter Diary

I have hit the 40% milestone for day 2 of the ComicScene Kickstarter and over 40 backers – whoop whoop. That’s one of our strongest starts!

You have helped raise over £1000 in just 24 hours which is amazing.

I have a few more tricks up my sleeve going into the third day. I hope we can get over 50% funded going into the weekend. The Kickstarter advice is to keep momentum going!

But first I have to go shopping for messages #livingthedream

Wednesday 25th March, 6 am

The Kickstarter Diary

Good morning!

Overnight the ComicScene Kickstarter has creeped up to 33% funding – 34 backers have taken to £849 raised of £2500. Thank you so much. Now I have to update all backers on Kickstarter with a morning update!

Tuesday 24th March, 10pm

The Kickstarter Diary

According to my ‘kickstarter’ advice I’m to let you all know thanks for getting us to 30% funding – 32 backers have helped us raise £754 in 6 hours which is amazing.

If momentum keeps going we should be heading for over 35%+ 24 hours into the Kickstarter. Please keep pledging and help this project happen here

I’m pretty tired and ready for bed. I hope you all have a good evening. Hopefully be recharged tomorrow morning and share more Kickstarter advice with you before the weekend!

Tuesday 24th March

The Kickstarter diary

I’ve kicked off a new Kickstarter for ComicScene Yearbook and our first Summer Special.

I thought I’d follow some of the ‘advice’ you can get on running a Crowdfunder and share it on my blog.

So we built up to the pre launch page to over 100 followers and then ‘blasted’ the launch at 4pm UK time. That is meant to capture commuters leaving work in the U.K., US East before lunchtime and US West first thing in the morning.

When I say ‘blast it’ we have 7500 people on our substack, followers on our website, on social media and via our previous kickstarters.

The intention is to get about 20% of backers in the first two hours. At 6pm, exactly 2 hrs from launch, we have 23 backers, raised £474 or £3000 – 18%.

So well on the way, thank you – support ComicScene here

More ‘advice’ soon…

SATURDAY 7th MARCH

I’m on a train to go to Paisley to see Phillip Vaughan talk at the Will Eisner Festival (he’s currently inking and lettering Ragtime Soldier) and check out books from La Belle Adventure bookshop. I was hoping to see Steve Tanner at Power Con in Glasgow (selling Time Bomb titles alongside Peter Pan and Tara Togs) but a trip to the SECC will be a step too far after a morning meeting overran. Time Bombs Dick Turpin Kickstarter ends soon and it’s doing pretty well.

I did venture out mid week to see Stref talk about his career and Tara Togs. It was a very pleasant evening and people were very kind about ComicScene, which took me back a little. I’m thinking it’s time I found the time to go out to some comic events next year. Maybe do a few panels on comic publishing if I get an invite and bring some of the creators with me.

Slightly annoyed I decided to leave my ruck sack behind as I’m planning to go for drinks later. I left my copies of Lew Stringers ‘Brick Man’ in it which I planned to read on the train. Oh well, that’s why you are getting this blog post instead!

It’s the last day of my substack ‘crowdfunder’ (search ComicScene Substack). Posts will be going behind a paywall after being free for a day from now on. Contributions help oil the writing wheels.

That’s the end of the (train) line now. Until next time. Blog over!

FRIDAY 27th FEBRUARY

I’ve taken the leap to continue the ComicScene.org website and the oodles of free memory if offers and open it up, for FREE, to comic folk. If like me they have found social media algorithms very frustrating, for a variety of reasons, they may embrace the opportunity of creating a dedicated collective space.

But here’s the NEW secret weapon!

Any updated blogs will be ‘boosted’ on the ComicScene Culture Review as part of ‘Panels’. I’ve been building that newsletter, which goes directly to 7000 subscribers every time we post, for the last year and it’s growing (7400 people to be exact, at time of writing, making us the number one substack for comics as of today).

So they get a free blog. Why? Well, it gives them their dedicated space to share their voice. They will be able to edit their blog at any time via desktop, tablet or mobile phone. It all means they don’t have to rely on a media release and my time availability to cover their stories or share their work (I always feel bad when that happens but, y’know, family life, work and volunteering for other things that aren’t ‘comics’ does get in the way!)

They can share pictures, links, shop links, videos, media and even upload your comics for people to read. It will make for an eclectic, exciting social hub of comic goodness that all fans will enjoy. If they embrace and use it.

I always think we have done things differently here at ComicScene and this is a potential game changer for coverage of comics in the U.K. and overseas.

If you want a blog get in touch at ComicScenecr@gmail.com

To check out the substack go here